Back and Forth
by LegendofAdventureception
Summary: Korroh; Iroh comes to visit Team Avatar while on vacation. Setting takes place on Air Temple Island. Enjoy :) Comment :)
1. Chapter 1

The water sloshed against Korra's calves as she ran along the shore of the island. Even though it was the middle of the night, Korra was out and about, trying to get away from the strict rules set by her mentor Tenzin.

At one point of time, Korra stopped running, realizing that she went one whole round around the large island. Sighing, she started to walk towards the women's area of the island, where Asami currently was. Mako and Bolin also decided to stay with Korra for a couple of weeks, but they slept on the opposite side of the area of land.

Soon Korra reached the thick wooded area, which only meant that she was closer to the womens' dorms.

A small snapping sound was heard, Korra stopped. She looked around her, making sure nobody was there.

The teenage Avatar heard another sound, then asked, "Hello? Anyone there?" She frowned at the absence of noise, then ascended once more.

One more creak. She sighed, adding, "Bolin, is this you? I'm a little sick of all your jokes... Alright. Reveal yourself."

"Korra." A manly voice was heard. Korra turned around. No one was to be found.

"Who is speaking?" She asked once more, craning her head to look around the trees.

"Me."

Korra walked around the fallen logs and repeated one last time, "Reveal yourself. Or else I won't show mercy. I'm the Avatar."

"Fine." A strong hand was felt on Korra's shoulder. She immediately turned around, grabbing the hand and twisting it.

"Oh," Korra spoke, releasing the man's hand, "Sorry General Iroh. I didn't know it was you." She smiled.

He chuckled, then loosley replied, "No problem Avatar Korra. And... Just call me Iroh." His words were slurred. Weird.

Korra raised an eyebrow, "Okay, Iroh. Why were you following me?"

"I wasn't. We just happened to be at the same place at the same time." Korra could tell that something was off about him. The usual General wouldn't look so nonchalant. He looked tired, but drunk at the same time.

"Right. Okay."

He laughed one more time, then stumbled towards her. He leaned forward, then whispered in her ear, "You look good with your hair down. Too good." Korra almost forgot that she didn't wear her hair up in the nighttime.

But she didn't let that compliment distract her. She shrugged off his arm then asked, "General, have you been drinking?"

He walked backwards, tripping over a broken branch. "I most certainly have not." His words were slurred yet again.

"Iroh, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be protecting the city?"

"I came to see you. Because I'm on vacation." He bumped into a tree as he came forward again. He cupped her cheek with one hand, leaning forward.

Korra moved away, "Iroh. You're drunk. I'll arrange a room for you."

"You mean us?" He asked, wrapping an arm around the girl.

"No. You. Now let's go."

They walked towards the other side of the island, Iroh hitting on Korra and Korra ignoring him.

When they finally found an empty room, Korra pushed Iroh onto the bed. He patted the spot next to him then smiled crookedly, "You aren't coming?"

She laughed at this, "No. I'm not. Deal with it."

His gaze drifted down to her body. He looked back up to find her face. "Your hot."

"Thanks. Now get some sleep." Korra rolled her eyes at the general, then left. Why would he come to visit her? How did he get there? Korra expected the general to act a bit more mature even though he was only three years older than her.

Three years older... That meant that Iroh was twenty years old. He was still too young to drink.

-00000-

Iroh woke up startled. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. All he saw was beige room with a single bed and mirror. Groaning, he pulled himself out of bed only to find himself in his regular clothes. "What?" He asked himself. He looked around once more, still not knowing what happened to him. Iroh opened the only door in the room, unsure of what he would find.

Right in front of him was the Avatar in her finest state. Her hair was up, arms crossed and she was leaning in on one leg. "Iroh," she spoke, "I was waiting for you."

He was confused. "What do you mean? Where am I? What happened?" He continued to ask a string of questions when Korra interrupted him.

"I'll explain. So, you were drunk. And you said you were on vacation and wanted to come find me. I found a room for you and left."

"That's it? Nothing else?" Korra nodded her head 'no.' He continued, "Did I...did I say anything weird?"

Korra laughed at the memory of him throwing compliments at her. "No..yes. Don't worry about it."

They didn't say anything to each other for a while, gazing into each other's eyes. "Can I have something to eat?" Iroh asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure, follow me." They started down the long hallway, "Why aren't you talking all sophisticated like you usually do?"

Iroh looked at the ground, saying, "Around you and my other friends, I don't like talking like that."

Korra nodded, then walked ahead of him. Iroh watched the way her muscles tightened every time she took a step. He's noticed a lot of things that no one else noticed about her. Like the way she bites her lip whenever she's nervous, or even the way her eyes twitch just a little when she gets excited. Iroh averted his gaze away from Korra, not wanting to look awkward in front of others.

Soon after, Iroh was introduced to everyone (Tenzin's children loved him), and he sat next to Korra's friends while they were eating breakfast. Korra sat across from him with Asami by her side. Mako and Bolin sat on either side of him.

"So, uh, Iroh. How did you get that name?" Bolin asked, slurping down a bunch of hot noodles.

"I was named after my grandfather's uncle. He was a great man." Iroh replied, glancing over at Korra when he talked. Iroh looked over at Mako to find Mako already rolling his eyes. "You got a problem?" He asked.

"No." Mako replied, bending down to eat the rest of his noodles.

Asami nudged Mako her elbow, then asked Iroh, "How did you get here?"

"Oh. I remember swimming to get here. I guess I was bored. Decided to take a vacation." he replied.

"And, Iroh was drunk too." Korra added, not taking her eyes off the firebender across from her.

Iroh laughed, "Yeah. I'm glad I found Korra. She arranged a room for me." He didn't take his eyes off of her either.

"Yep. You are lucky I was there." She replied. Iroh watched as her gaze drifted from his eyes down to his lips. She turned away to find all three of her friends watching her in surprise. Korra scowled at Mako especially, who was forming a face of disgust. "What?" She asked, annoyed by his reaction.

"Nothing." Mako replied, stabbing his noodles. Asami pulled Korra up from the table, dragging her away from the boys. Korra managed to give Iroh a small smile before disappearing around the corner.

**Comment Please :) I'll update as soon as I can :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"I know what you were doing." Asami said with an 'all knowing' look on her face.

Korra raised both her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. Stop pretending to be innocent. I know what you were doing."

"Fine. What was I doing?"

Asami laughed, "You couldn't get your eyes off of him. Come on. You know it's true."

"Who were we speaking about again?"

"Iroh!"

"Right. That guy. I don't like him." Korra stated flatly, trying to prove her innocence.

"Oh, Korra. You have a lot to learn in the world of crushes and dating." Asami said while turning around. She walked back towards her room. Korra frowned at this. _What did Asami know? Besides, Asami only dated a couple of guys. She surely couldn't have guessed that I feel attracted to Iroh. She couldn't have guessed. _But, Korra knew that Asami was experienced and did know.

Korra turned around, only to bump into something hard but soft. She looked up. "Hey, Mako." She managed to say.

Mako nudged Korra out of the way, sprinting to catch up to Asami. Mako and Asami weren't dating, but Korra didn't know for sure. She sighed, then walked back towards the table they were eating at before.

"Hey," Korra said while looking at the general and also Bolin, "What's up with Mako? He just pushed me out of the way when all I said was 'hello.'"

Bolin laughed then ended with a sigh, "Well, Mako got really mad because Iroh and Mako were fighting about y-"

The general cleared his throat, interrupting Bolin. He then said, "We were fighting about which, uh, tea tastes better. He got mad at me because Bolin agreed that Jasmine was much better than Jinseng Tea."

Korra nodded, knowing it was a lie.

"I am going to go." Bolin said cautiously. He slowly got up after both of the two said their temporary farewells.

Korra stared down at her tea. Then looked back up. Iroh was already watching her. He quickly looked away, scratching the back of his neck to cover up. He then looked at her again. Sighing, they gazed into each other's eyes awkwardly.

"Korra, can you give me a tour of this island?" He asked, breaking the silence once again.

"Why not?" Korra paused, "Follow me."

They both walked side by side, strolling throughout the whole lot. Two hours passed after going through all the intricate layouts and symbolism that each room and area held.

Finally, they reached the last part of the island. The shore. Korra looked up at the blazing sun, shielding her eyes from its intense heat. "This is where I come to relax. When I want to be alone. There really isn't anything special about it." Iroh nodded.

"Thank you for that... Can we sit down for a little bit?" Iroh asked, dumbfounded that the Avatar had so much energy contained within her.

-00000-

Korra slowly opened one of her eyes. She could tell she was on the beach. It was evening time, the sun was almost setting.

Korra had fallen asleep after she and the general sat down to take a rest. But if they had sat down to take a rest, then why was she lying down on her side? Korra slowly turned her head around to see the general lying behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. Iroh slowly opened his eyes also, to find a teenage girl curled up in his embrace. It took them a second to interpret what position they were in.

After realizing this, they both simultaneously jumped apart."H-How did that happen?!" Korra asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"I don't know." The firebender replied, his face contorted with a mix of shock and embarrassment. He brushed the sand off the side of his body. "We should, uh, go." He suggested, pulling Korra up with one arm.

"Uh, let's pretend that never happened." Korra said while rubbing her arm nervously.

"It's a deal."

They arrived at the common area at around nighttime. This time, Iroh was leading the way.

"I see you've gotten familiar with the island." Bolin remarked as they sat next to him at the small table.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I've memorized one route out of all the others I already should have."

Bolin laughed, then asked, "Hey, where exactly is Mako and Asami now?"

Iroh shrugged.

He felt Korra's shoulder brush against his. She edged a little closer, pressing her arm into his very subtly. Under the table, Iroh moved his hand to sit it on top of Korra's thigh. She placed her hand over his. They didn't look at each other, but felt the intensity.

She squeezed his hand every now and then as they listened to one of Bolin's weird stories. These signals were different. They were reading each other's minds by doing this instead of talking to one another. It was sweet.

After a while, Mako and Asami walked back to the table hand in hand._ Of course._ It only took them a couple of hours to get together. Korra resisted the urge of rolling her eyes at them.

**Comment on what I should improve :) Thanks for reading :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Korra's POV:**

I tiptoed down the long hallway, not wanting to be the reason of someone's wake. It truly was a challenge trying to be quiet at the air temple island; for every time I stepped on the wooden floorboards, they would creak.

When I got to the shore, I sat myself on the cool sand, getting ready to watch the sun rise. I looked far off into the waves trying to catch a glimpse of the sun. A sliver of it was to be seen.

Smiling, I further noticed the deep shade of red the sky was colored. The sight was magnificent. It reminded me of-

Wait. What was in the water? I stood up and squinted at the moving figure in the deep shade of blue. It was far away, but I could tell it was a.. well.. something was swimming.

It got bigger, which only meant the being was getting closer. I noticed it had arms and a head full of disheveled black hair. After it got closer, I realized that it wasn't an 'it,' but it was a man. Iroh.

He finally walked out from the cold water and greeted me, "Korra, why are you up so early?"

I averted my gaze from his shirtless body and said, "I could ask you the same thing."

He chuckled, then put his hand on my shoulder, removing it almost immediately. I could still feel the salt water he placed there unintentionally.

"I should go. And put some clothes on." He jogged away from me. I admired the way his muscles flexed as he did this. How strong his legs and upper body were. If only I had seen what he his abs looked like, then I would be satisfied. I smiled at the dirty thought.

-00000-

**Third Person POV:**

After Iroh threw some of his usual clothes on, he got up and went to the only mirror in the room. He started to rake through his messy hair.

But just when Iroh was about to button down his shirt, Mako stumbled into his room. They stared at each other for a few seconds, unsure of what to say.

"What's up?" Iroh asked, combing his hair into proper position, looking into the mirror after turning around.

Mako sighed, "I need to talk to you about Korra."

"I thought we already did." Iroh replied, setting the comb down on the table and directing his gaze to Mako.

"You obviously like her." Mako replied, hands curled into fists, his face clearly contorted with anger and angst.

"Mako, why are you so mad? You have a girlfriend." Iroh backed away, his hands in the air.

"She's too young for you. You know that."

"Hey, she's only three years younger. I'm not going to hurt her. Anyway, what is the problem here?"

"Asami and I may be dating, but I still like Korra. As a friend. You can't hurt her." Mako slowly walked towards Iroh.

Iroh realized something, deciding to confront Mako. "Dude, I know why you don't want me to date Korra. You just want to keep your options open. But you're dating a girl already," Iroh poked Mako's chest with his index finger, "so you don't need Korra also."

Iroh waited for Mako to reply, but Mako didn't. "Mako, you just want Korra as an option. I guess you just want her in case something bad happens between you and Asami."

"That's not true. Just stay away from her." Mako huffed through gritted teeth.

"Sorry Mako. I don't see the point in being jealous if you already have a girlfriend. Lay off." With that, Iroh walked around Mako, exiting the room.

-00000-

"Today we are hosting a ball at the Republic City Hall for the equality of all benders, non-benders, and spirits!" Tenzin stated, looking at his children, Team Avatar and his wife.

"Wait, so pretty much like a dance?" Bolin asked, putting his hand on his chin.

"Yes. All the council members, most of Republic City citizens, and many soldiers will be arriving with their grooms or whoever they are interested in." He directed his gaze toward the Avatar, "And I ask you, Korra, to come with your friends for this event. Many political leaders will be interested in speaking with you and General Iroh on forming alliances. I insist all of us go at the same time."

Korra nodded. Bolin and Meelo high-fived. Mako put an arm around Asami. Iroh stole a glance from Korra then looked back at Tenzin.

"And I ask all of you to be respectful of each other. Especially you, Korra."

-00000-

Evening time came around, and all the people on Air Temple Island arrived at the City Hall, where the ball was being held. Korra realized that Tenzin was correct, a huge crowd of people were outside, impatient. Soon, every single person crammed through the door, like anchovies being shoved in a small can.

The large hall was absolutely beautiful. A huge chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, a mini fountain right under it. Tables of food and drinks were all lined up at the side of the broad room. On the opposite side were sitting tables, all covered with white linen cloth. All in all, dazzling.

Korra entered, smoothing out her long blue dress. The last time she wore that dress was when Tarrlok through a party in honor of the Avatar.

Korra and Asami sat side by side with the boys across from them. An upbeat song was playing, with many couples dancing in the middle of the room. Korra watched them dance, wishing she could dance as good as them.

"I'm going to go get us something to drink." Korra told them, standing up. She walked across the room towards the drinks. As she approached the bowl, a young looking soldier walked up to her. His bang covered half his face.

"Sup, Korra," he remarked, "Wanna' dance?"

"No thanks, Tahno. I'm not in a mood to dance." She avoided his gaze, concentrating on pouring punch into the cups provided.

"Kay, your loss." Tahno walked away, then started to follow another girl.

Korra poured the clear lemonade into one cup. She wanted to taste all the sodas and juices before serving them. She lifted the cup, then slowly gulped down the juice. It was fizzy, and she felt the juice burn down her throat.

_What kind of juice is this?_ She poured herself another cup, drinking the contents. It was good. Maybe too good.

Then another cup.

Then one more.

She was in the middle of drinking the fifth cup of juice when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Iroh in his black suit. The color suited him very well. It brought out his amazing jaw structure, and the golden blaze in his eyes.

"You look hot like that." Korra blurted out, her words slurred. She started to walk towards him, but stumbled and fell on him instead.

Iroh caught her, then pushed her away, adjusting her so that she could stand properly. "Korra what is that?" He asked, pointing to the juice in her hand.

"It's juice. Gooooood juice." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Korra, now you're the one that's drunk." He laughed, then lifted her hands off his shoulders.

"Why can't we just makeout?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Because we are friends. Now, come on. We have to get out of here before someone important wants to talk to you and sees you're drunk."

"No. Kiss me first. Do it."

Iroh sighed, "No. Now let's go. Like I said, I don't want-"

Korra pulled him down to close the space between them. She pressed her lips against his- hard. Iroh didn't kiss back, but stood there as she kissed him.

If it weren't for the current situation they were in, Iroh would have parted the seam of her lips with his tongue. He would have noticed how soft her lips were in doing so. But he knew better. He slowly pulled back and opened his eyes.

Korra looked up at him, saying, "What gives? I thought we had a deal." She tripped over her own leg, then caught herself.

"Well. We kissed. Now let's go."

Korra rolled her eyes, then held onto the table as she tripped once again.

"And let's pretend this never happened." Iroh added, pulling Korra out of the room.

**Comment Please :-) Tell me what I should improve :-) And also message me if you want me to incorporate something in my story :-) :) :-) :) :-) :) :-) :) :-) :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay. Um, let's think of an excuse." Iroh suggested, pulling her into the dark supply closet of the Republic City Hall.

"Why are we going in here?" Korra asked, leaning against Iroh's chest. Her words still came out slurred.

"Because it's the only place nobody else will find us." Iroh sat Korra on one side of the closet, sitting across from her. He put his hand on his chin, "I have an idea. I'll tell people that you had to go to the bathroom. And you weren't feeling well. So you had to leave."

Their toes touched, Korra asking, "Why are we making an excuse again?" She leaned against the wall.

"Because, you are drunk. I need to find a way to get you out of here before your reputation gets spoiled." He squinted through the darkness, glad that there was light coming from under the crack of the door. He saw the shape of Korra, slumped in a small ball. She was hugging her knees, but her eyes looked tired.

"Why do you care about _my _reputation?" She questioned, looking up at the young man.

"For some reasons." He replied. "So here is what's going to happen;" Iroh started to explain a huge intricate plan, not making any sense to Korra. All she heard was jumbled up syllables.

She concentrated more on the outline of his face. It was handsome, 'hot' is what Korra would call him. His eyes contributed to this also. Those golden eyes, looking like fire piercing her- "So that's the plan, Korra. Understand?"

"What?" Korra asked, "Let's just makeout. And kiss me for real this time."

Iroh sighed, "Just wait here, okay? I'm going to clear things up. Then we can leave without anyone important figuring out that you're drunk. You're too young anyway. And like I said, wait here." He rose, exiting the closet.

Korra waited in silence, staring at the spot Iroh was just before. Slowly, she lowered herself into a laying position, bending her knees to fit in the small space of the closet. She closed her eyes, then slowly fell asleep.

-00000-

"Korra!" A voice whispered. It was Iroh.

Korra turned around, to see that she was being lifted up into his arms. One of them carried her legs, the other supporting her back. He then started to walk away stealthily with her in his arms.

The swaying motion of his carrying and walking reminded Korra of the swings she used to ride when she was a child. "Back and forth." She mumbled under her breath._  
_

He glanced down every once in a while to check on Korra, his eyes filled with fear and emotion. "We are going to go back to the island." He said, every two minutes.

Soon, they exited the building, Iroh propping Korra in a standing position. He ran a hand through his hair, the anxiety killing him.

Korra laid a hand on his shoulder. Her words morphed into one when she said, "Ya know, you don't need to worry about me. Just leave." She fell on him.

He grabbed her arms, pushed her away, then replied, "No."

"Can we please makeout?"

He had enough requests. Iroh sighed, cupping her cheek with one of his hands. He tilted her face up with the other. Slowly, so slowly, he bent down, their lips meeting. He pushed in harder, causing a moan to escape her. His tongue dug into her mouth, tasting and testing. She tasted sweet, like an alcohol and cotton candy flavored lollipop.

He parted, leaving both of them expecting more. Giving into his temptations, he cupped Korra's face with both his hands, then leaned in once more, kissing her as hard as he could. He sucked her bottom lip, like it was a chew toy, then went back to kissing her. His hands automatically moved to her hips. Her's meeting behind his neck.

"Korra?" A voice asked. Iroh backed away from Korra immediately, turning to see who called her. Mako.

"I can't believe this." Mako stated. He moved closer to Iroh, pushing him. "So, you claimed Korra was sick. But let me guess; she's probably drunk. And you used that to your advantage."

"It's not what it looks like." Iroh stated, knowing that Mako would contradict the idea.

"It's exactly what it looks like." Mako replied, looking straight into Iroh's eyes.

"She got herself drunk."

"So? That doesn't mean you could makeout with the poor girl. She's drunk, Iroh."

Iroh sighed. It was useless. "I'm sorry. I do have to admit that I kissed her. She didn't kiss me." Mako didn't look impressed. Iroh continued, "It's just that...she wouldn't shut up. So I thought that if I kissed her-"

"She would shut up. Yeah, I do that to Asami too. But you guys aren't even dating." Mako crossed his arms.

"Well, I didn't mean for the kiss to mean anything. I just wanted to keep her quiet." Iroh mocked the other firebender, crossing his arms.

Mako smirked, saying, "That's all I needed to hear." He walked away as if nothing happened.

When he left, Iroh took the Avatar by the shoulder and told her, "Let's go. It's time."

-00000-

When Korra woke up, her head pounded in on her. She groaned, sitting up. Iroh was at the foot of the bed, watching her. "What happened?" She asked, lying back down again.

"Oh, good. Your not drunk anymore." He placed a hand on where Korra's leg would be under the covers.

"I was...drunk?"

"Yeah. It was pretty bad." He rubbed her leg.

She groaned again putting a hand on her forehead. "I remember kissing you." She said, not at all embarrassed by the realization.

"Oh. We did." Iroh looked away.

"What else happened?"

"I just brought you back here, and put you to sleep."

She narrowed her eyes at him, asking, "Um, Iroh? How was the, uh... kiss?"

"Uh, it was...okay. But it could have been better if Mako didn't show up."

"He saw us?"

"Yes." Iroh quoted, edging up the bed to get a better view of Korra's face. Her hair was down again, but it framed her face. She sat up, then hugged him, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Did anyone find out that I was drunk?" Korra asked, muffled by his skin.

"Other than Mako, nobody else."

"Thank you. If anyone important found that I was drunk, then my reputation would have been spoiled."

She kissed the hollow of his neck, looking back up at him. He looked immersed in his own deep thoughts.

"Korra. I don't know what _this _is," He gestured between them, "but I don't think it should be happening."

Korra didn't know what to say to that. She felt...rejected. "Why?" She pressed on.

"I just don't think this is right." He turned to look at her.

She was confused. It didn't make sense. "Then why are you here? Why did you come to Air Temple Island? If you don't think this is right, then why did you take care of me when I was drunk? Why did you kiss me in the first place?" Korra asked in a quiet voice. She backed away, hugging her knees instead of him.

"The kiss didn't mean anything. I didn't, I didn't want for it to mean anything."

Korra didn't expect this. She thought of him differently. "If you can admit that there isn't anything you feel for me, then I'll let you leave."

He reached for her face, but she batted the gesture away. "Korra, of course I like you. More than anyone else. But, you're too young. For me at least."

"You didn't think that before." She scowled. He sighed.

"I thought about what Mako said. He's right."

"What? What did he say?"

"You're just a teenager. You're too young for me."

"So now you're on his side?"

"What? No. See, this is the reason why you're too young for me. You don't know how to accept whatever's coming at you. You're just a teenage girl who gets things mixed up in her head. Deal with it."

Korra felt tears well up in her eyes, then blinked them away. "Why are you- Why are you being so mean?"

"I-I don't know. I'm sorry." Iroh left, unsure of what he just did.

**OMG GUYS PLEASE COMMENT! I would like to thank the people who commented, followed and favorited! Again, comment and I will love you forever (even if you tell me where I should improve upon)!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry if I didn't update in a while! I promise to update sooner for the next chapter! Anyways, enjoy.**

**Korra's POV:**

I sat alone on the beach, watching the waves crash and recede. The slow motion calmed me. It pulled and pushed. The mass of blue being pulled back and forth. Back and forth. I related to this, the feeling I was in.

There weren't many causes to this sensation, just one actually. And it was Iroh. I shut my eyes and hugged my knees. _Don't think about him._

It was enough that he completely rejected me. I sighed then looked to my right. A small figure looked as if it was approaching me. I didn't have to look twice to know who it was.

Looking back at the sunset, I saw a radiant mix of colors. Red, Orange, yellow, blue. No matter how many times I looked at that, I knew I wouldn't-

"Korra." A man's voice said. _Ignore him._ "Korra." He insisted.

I looked over at Iroh sitting next to me, pretending to not care.

"Korra, I want to talk to you." I felt his gaze but decided not to look back. "Listen, the last time we talked was the day after we kissed. Remember?"

I didn't want to look at him.

"And the last time we talked was a week ago. Korra. Look at me."

I continued to watch the waves.

"Korra, please." He cupped my cheek with one hand and turned my face towards him. I looked into his eyes.

I tried to appear cold and detached. "What do you want?" I batted his hand away.

"I just wanted to say I was wrong. And I'm sorry. I realized that what I did was the stupidest, most idiotic thing a guy could do. I love you, Korra, no one else," He apologized. His eyes turned warm, looking like his irises were dipped in chocolate and coated with honey.

I didn't know what to say to that. I turned my attention from the man seated next to me towards the ocean once more. But he blocked my view by sitting in front of me. I sighed. Time to give in. "Iroh, I don't like ignoring you. I never did," I placed my hand over his on the sand, "We could still be friends."

"I don't want to be friends." He sternly stated.

"Iroh, I...I don't...I'm not..." I looked away, unsure of what to say. He slowly placed his hand on the side of my face, then turned it to his.

I gazed deeply into his eyes, but he wasn't returning me the favor. His gaze was directed towards my lips. And I realized that he was leaning in, getting closer and closer.

-00000-

**Iroh' s POV:**

_Okay, now is the_ time. I bent over, training my gaze to stay onto her lips. They were luscious, something so kissable. A beautiful sight, was the one thing that came to my mind.

I closed my eyes and placed my forehead on top of hers. We breathed the same air, our scents mixing. And I swear, her breathing sped up.

Then, Korra put her hand behind my head, tentatively touching her lips to mine. They were soft and felt like a peach. She pushed lightly, teasing me.

_Enough with this._ Suddenly, I pushed my lips against hers- hard. And she accepted it, responding by moaning a bit. My tongue found the seam of her lips and pushed in, tasting and testing. Spicy and sweet. Sour but bitter. I pulled away slightly, then leaned back in to kiss her again. After that our lips met again. And once more.

It was while before she pulled away with her hands on my shoulders. "I...I don't..." She was breathless an it was clearly visible that the redness in her cheeks meant something. Korra looked...hot. I didn't want to think that, but she really did.

I leaned over again and gave her one small kiss. I sat back down, still watching her. She was beautiful in every way. Her eyes, her hair, her mouth, her-

"Why did you do that?" She questioned when she got her breath back. She obviously tried to sound annoyed.

I didn't reply, but leaned over again. She pushed me back with her hand on my chest. All this time, I forgot I was shirtless.

"Answer my question." She said. She looked playful, not actually meaning what she asked.

I chuckled, "Because I love you, Korra." But she was distracted. She was looking at something else. Something behind me. I turned around and saw Tenzin, standing confidently. _Shit._

"Korra, what is the meaning of this?" He asked, terrified of what he saw.

"I...I thought that-" She looked at me for help.

"It was my fault. I'm sorry." I confessed. After all, I was the reason it happened.

"Well, Korra was sent here to train with me. Her parents strictly advised me not to let her get into...shenanigans like this. I'm sorry to say this Iroh, but you can no longer see Korra." With that being said, Tenzin casually walked away, as if he didn't just rip my heart out and trample over it.

I looked over at Korra who wore a furious expression. "Why does he always do this to me!" It came out more like a yell rather a question.

I looked to my right and saw a lean teenage boy making his way towards us. Mako. I immediately stood up, realizing the reason behind this.

"Were you the only that told Tenzin?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" He asked. His tone was nonchalant but also filled with malice. My hand automatically rolled into a fist. Before I knew it, it met his jaw. My knuckles cracked at the impact. "What the hell man?" He asked, starting to heat up. He kicked my shin then punched my nose with all force. I felt the blood trickle down.

Korra pushed both of us away from each other. "Stop. It's okay." She walked me back to the dorms, far away from Mako.

**Comment please :) Make some suggestions and tell me where I should improve :) The next chapter will involve some violence, so be prepared! Have a nice day and thank you for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Korra's POV:**

I snuck up behind Iroh, covering his eyes with my fingertips.

"Guess who," I remarked while smiling to myself. I felt his cheekbones rise as he grinned along with me. He turned around and planted a deep kiss on my lips. Iroh's hand slid down to my hip, the other holding my shoulder. I melted into his touch, wishing we could do this every day together.

We parted, him kissing the tip of nose. "It's our last night together." Iroh said in a sorrow tone. His voice was gravelly, which was how he would get when he became emotional.

"We'll never know if it's our last. There's always next year." Both of us remained in the same position as before, the only exception was that our faces weren't smushed together.

He took a step away from me, letting his arms drop. "It'll be more than a year the next time we see each other. And I don't know if we could see each other at all with me being swamped in my military work and you being immersed in your Avatar stuff."

I sighed, nervously rubbing my other arm. In the distance, a ship horn bellowed, causing both of us to jump. "That's for you."

"I'll come to visit you Korra. As soon as I can."

"Okay." I lightly smiled even though the the sadness was killing me on the inside.

"This summer was the best one I had throughout my whole...existence. And it was because of you." He returned the smile, placing a hand on my shoulder.

But a thought was etching through my mind. I need to ask him. But I couldn't. I had to. "Was this some kind of fling?"

"Korra, why would you think that? It isn't. It wasn't, I mean." I took note at how he considered our relationship over. Like how he used the word 'wasn't' instead of 'isn't.'

The tears that had been suppressed welled up in my eyes. I let them roll over onto my cheeks, but quickly wiped them away. The last thing I wanted Iroh to see was me crying. He extended his arms out and I walked right into his embrace.

It was a while after the ship finally made its way to the docks. Iroh picked up his only bag, then walked onto it with a small smile on his face. He waved to me, and I waved back. "I'll come and visit you Korra!" He yelled, winking at me.

I smiled cheekily, replying, "Sure thing!"

The boat's horn sounded, and Iroh's smiling face faded off in the fog as they left the area. I wondered when the next time would come. The next time I could see Iroh's beautifully handsome face again.

-00000-

**Still Korra's POV:**

"How old are you, miss?" The shaggy brown haired officer asked me.

"Eighteen sir. Eighteen and a half to be precise."

"And when was the last time you came to this office?"

"Last year. When the two water tribes were feuding."

"Okay," He wrote something in his notepad then looked up at me, "I'll have Chief Beifong see you immediately." He left the main desk and went into a small room. Then, he came back out of the room with a smile on his face. "You may go in."

I nodded. It had been a while since I saw Beifong. It had been a while since I saw practically anyone except for my friends.

I entered the room and saw a fit woman who still looked young sitting behind a desk of her own.

"Avatar, it's been a while."

"Sure has."

"Why are you here?" She asked grumpily.

I chuckled, "Well, you haven't changed."

"You haven't either. Now tell me, why are you here?"

"I've been feeling kind of detached. From all the problems in the city, I mean. After all, I've been staying at the Air Temple for around a year."

"No kidding. Everyone thought you were dead. Anyway, so why are you here?"

"Right. Because, I want to get a job in your office. I mean, yeah. I think it's time I started living on my own. And I need money for that. But I also want to be involved with the crimes going on in the city. So, can I have a job?" I mentally pinched myself. No matter how many times I practiced the "Can I have a job" speech, it never came out right.

"I suppose you could work alongside with me. Probably, assistant chief. It would be nice working with you, Avatar. We could get to know each other and- Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we send all the new recruits on an important task to finish. So, to prove your worthiness on our task force, you have to do some thing for us."

"Yes, anything, of course. What do I do?"

"Recently, there was a robbery on East Street. A tea shop was stolen of it's china. If you find who did it, you might just get the job as a detective."

A detective. It sounded nice. "Thank you so much. I assure you that I will use this opportunity and make the best out of it."

She smiled, then nodded. "Well, there is another man who wants to take up the other spot too. So I believe you both are the rookies."

I frowned. "I thought Mako was the only detective."

She nodded her head 'no.' "He moved to the police department. So it'll be you and the other guy."

"Who's 'the other guy?'"

"You'll see."

-00000-

Lin Beifong had quite a personality. As the day went by, we got to know each other very well. She was like the future me.

Beifong took me around town and finally stopped at the docks. "He should be arriving soon..." She said, glancing at her watch. If we were at the docks, that meant that the man who wanted the detectiv job would be coming on a boat. And that meant he was rich.

We waited for a long while, glancing every other minute at the time. Soon, my stomach rumbled. I headed for a nearby food stand.

"I'll take one of-" I was interrupted my a low and loud noise. A ship. "One minute."

I walked back over to the docks to see a medium sized boat covered in red and white. The fire nation insignia was painted across the side. Who was this person?

A thin man docked the ship and let the crowd of people get off. Beifong squinted and looked for the man.

That was when I saw him. When I saw Iroh. My heart stopped as I saw him struggle to get through the mass of people. His hair was disheveled and his red suit was ripped down the sleeves, but other than that, he looked the same.

Iroh approached us, glancing over at me then directing his attention to Cheif Beifong. "Pleasure to meet you Chief," He shook her hand, "And also you Avatar Korra." He looked at me for a second, then went back to talking to Beifong.

"Tell me General, why would you want to go from General to detective?"

He laughed. "The constant shade of blue started to irk me. I decided to give my past a little break for a while."

"Right. Well, I already explained the job to you. Korra and you will be working alongside each other." He nodded, but didn't look at me. "Find out who robbed Hatak of his china plates and tea cups, then you both get the job." He nodded again. "You both may start tomorrow." He nodded once more.

"It's been a pleasure Chief Beifong." He nodded towards me, then left. It had been one and a half years since we saw each other, and all he bothered to say was three words that any other man could have said.

I let it go. I shouldn't have high expectations of him.

**I know there wasn't violence in this chapter like I said before, but there will be in the next chapters.**

**The next chapter will be better, I assure you.**

**Also, I love all of you (not in a gross way)! Comment or message!**

**The next update will come soon enough!**

**:-) ㈳6 :-) ㈳6 :-) ㈳6 :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Korra's POV:**

I wake up to the blinding light coming out from the window. I sheilded my eyes and remembered that I moved out of Air Temple Island a while ago. I decided to get up and close the window, but was too lazy to do so.

The window. The window was closed and locked when I went to sleep. I took the liberty of padlocking all Windows in my apartment. Then why was mine open?

The realization hit me worse than a truck would. The window was open. Someone is in the apartment. _Crap._

I tip-toed out of my room to hear shuffling steps down the hall. Positioning my hands in front of my chest, I get ready for any attack that comes my way. "Who's there? I'm the Avatar. You, uh, might want to stay away from me."

"I know."

I jumped and twisted backwards. Standing behind me was Mako, chewing on a piece of bread. I dropped my arms.

"Mako? Why are you- What are you... How did you get in my apartment?"

"Eh, easy."

"What do mean by- anyway, what are you doing in my apartment?"

"What, no 'hello?'"

"Well, it is good to see you. But why are you here?"

"Asami, Bolin and I thought we would come to see you."

I paused. 'Asami, Bolin and I?' "What do you mean? Are they here?"

"Yeah," He craned his head towards the other rooms and yelled, "Guys, Korra woke up!"

After a couple of seconds, Bolin burst out of the bathroom and gave me a bear hug. Asami did the same.

"So, I heard you got a job with Iroh." Asami spoke. I noticed the way Mako's face didn't change when hearing this. He still had a smile on. He was over me. Good.

"Yeah, we still need to deem ourselves worthy. We didn't get the job yet."

"Well, good luck. With both." She winked, and I made a gagging impression.

After a while, we all got up at the sound of a knock at the door. Mako and Asami held hands, and I supposed that they were still dating.

I walked over to the threshold, opened the door and looked up slightly to see the face of my fellow detective companion.

"Avatar Korra, Chief Beifong ordered us to check out the crime scene. Now."

My eyes skirted his, but mistakenly fell down to his lips. I decided not to get distracted. I looked back firmly into his eyes. "Okay, General. Just give me a minute."

I informed Asami that I was leaving. She wished me luck. Mako didn't say anything, but nodded confidently.

-00000-

I jumped into the tank-like car and helped Iroh get on.

"Thank you." He simply said.

That made nineteen. He said nineteen words to me since I saw him two days ago. Nineteen small and meaningless words.

He soon started to drive towards the edge of town. I knew from experience that there was a long way to go. I tried making small talk, "So, Iroh. How have you been?"

"Good. You?"

"Fine, I guess. What did you do in the past year?"

"Business. Shipping. I attended many meetings that bonded the nations even further."

That made thirty three. I continued to tally up the words, but they all bored me. Every single question I asked, he had an answer already. Boring, worthless answers.

I hesitated before asking, "What about your love life? Have you, um, been dating anyone?"

"No. Not going to for a while." I tensed up at that statement, deciding not to ask anymore questions. I crossed my arms and sat straight in the seat, staring out of the side window.

"Korra, is there anything wrong?" Iroh asked.

"No." I snapped.

He didn't say anything further.

"Of course there's something wrong, you idiot!" I yelled.

"I didn't, what happened? I don't-"

My face started to grow hot in pent up anger and frustration. I exploded. "Just shut up! After almost two years, all you care about is your job? You don't have Alzheimer's, you should know by now!"

"Korra, what are you-"

"We didn't break up! You know that, right?"

"I did nothing-"

"Exactly! You did nothing to prove that you still cared."

"We broke up Korra."

I shifted in my seat and stared out the windshield.

"We'll talk about this later." Iroh said. We didn't say another word until we reached the shop.

-00000-**  
**

Third Person POV:

The young man stood at the foot of the door, leaning against the doorframe. "Welcome. Thank you for coming on such short notice." He looked about Iroh's age, maybe even younger. His brown hair was disheveled and his eyes looked warily around them.

"It's a pleasure." The general stuck out his hand and shook the other man's. "I'm surprised someone so young could own a whole shop."

"Actually, I don't own the shop. I just work here. But, uh, incidentally the robbery happened when I was supposed to lock the store." He smiled lightly, "So I guess I'm the one to blame. Although I'm not so sure how they got in when I locked it." He looked at Korra and grinned. "Korra, it's been a while."

"Sure has," Korra couldn't help but smile also, "I didn't know you worked here."

"Well, I didn't have a job when you moved out of the compound. So, I ended up here."

Iroh cleared his throat, causing both of them to look at him. "How did you guys meet?"

"I was her guard. A white Lotus sentry. But when she left, I didn't have anyone to protect." He quickly glanced at Korra, then back to Iroh. "My name's Howl, by the way."

"Oh." Was all Iroh could say. They entered and took a look into the restaurant. It was neat, looking like no crime even took place there. A chubby man stood behind a counter. Korra didn't know if he was smiling or frowning with all the food shoved in his mouth.

"Please, sit. Eat. Um, then I guess we'll tell you what happened."

Iroh sat at one of the tables, Korra sliding into the seat across from him.

"So, Korra." Iroh started; he couldn't form the words. He blurted out, "I didn't mean it. I guess I'm sorry."

Korra grinned, to Iroh's satisfaction. It was easy for Korra to forgive a person.

He inhaled air, then exhaled it sharply. "Friends?"

Her grin turned into a smile, but she replied, "Friends."

Iroh's gaze wandered to all around her face, but stopped at her eyes. They were beautiful. And although he grew to hate the color blue, he would never hate the Korra's eye color. Her eyes were radiant with happiness that couldn't be put out. Like a burning fire at the bottom of a placid lake. But she turned her head to the side to see Howl standing with a menu.

"Sorry, I didn't want to... interrupt."

"Oh, we weren't-"

"Can I have Jasmine Tea?" Iroh asked, cutting Korra off.

"Sure. For both of you?"

"Yes, please." Iroh answered for Korra.

Howl shuffled off in a hurried pace.

"I wanted Jinseng-" Just when Korra spoke, an old and scruffy looking man entered the shop. He carried a book and a black box. It looked like a recorder.

The old man sat across two tables away from Korra and Iroh, but was constantly watching Korra. She felt his gaze and became nervous. After a couple of minutes, she checked again and saw the old man to still be watching her. Grabbing the small notepad on the table, she wrote:

_He's watching me. Something is weird about him, about this place. We should leave._

She slid the notepad to Iroh, who casually looked up at the old man watching Korra. Iroh started to scribble something down after reading her message, then passed it back to Korra. It read:

_It's okay. Pretend he's not here. He's probably just a reporter thinking that we came here on a date (we didn't by the way). Besides, we can't leave without finding at least a clue about who stole the china plates._

She looked up at Iroh. "Fine."

Their teas finally came, but only after the old man left. The old man that constantly stared at Korra. But she was used to getting looked at. After all, it was only because she was the Avatar, right?

"Follow us." The chubby man said. He looked nice, and had the features that told Korra that he used to be handsome when he was young.

They walked to a door towards the back of the store. The door was in a dark corner, no light switches to be found. "After you." Howl insisted. He opened the door, which wasn't actually a pantry, but it was a basement. Iroh knew that this was the place in which they held all the china.

Korra walked down the dark staircase first, followed by Iroh. Then, the door shut. They both turned around to look at the shut door. Nothing was to be seen. Just pitch, black darkness. "Are they coming down?" Korra asked.

"No. We were tricked."

"What-What do you mean?"

Iroh started to pound on the heavy metal door, "Let us out! Let us out!"

"Wait, they kidnapped us?"

"Yes! Let us out!" Iroh banged furiously on the door, kicking and shoving.

Korra started to run up the stairs, but tripped over an intruding piece of metal and fell down instead. She was carried downwards, the steps never ending. Then, she hit the floor hard. She groaned.

-00000-

Korra woke up to the a small flame in the corner of the basement.

"Good, you're awake."

She groaned again, unable to get up. He gently lifted her, placing her to lean against the wall. "What happened after I passed out?" Korra asked, barely able to speak.

"Well, I realized you fell down about fifty steps, which is a lot. Then I came to help you. I cleaned your cuts. I went around the basement. I found a couple of rooms, and yeah."

"Fifty steps, huh? This basement is pretty deep."

"Yep."

"But, how- how were you able to make that fire?"

"I'm a firebender."

"Right."

He chuckled, then sat next to Korra. "You know, this isn't really the greatest area of Republic City. They tricked us. I guess they just want to blackmail the city into giving them money, then they'll release us."

But Korra wasn't paying attention, she rose from her position then looked down at the firebender. "Is there any water around here?"

Iroh got up also. "No, but there is food."

"I want something to drink."

"All there is in the closet is food and wine."

"I'll have it."

"What? The wine?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Korra, you're eighteen; still too young to drink. I'm twenty one, so I'm allowed to."

"Please, I'm thirsty."

"No."

"Fine, Mr. Bossypants."

"Anyway, you're going to have to deal with it. We've been here for six hours-"

"How do you know?"

"I have a watch. Anyway, the time is ten o'clock. We should get some rest."

They laid down near the fire, absorbing the warmth coming from it.

Korra watched Iroh fall asleep. _Good. _

She stood up, padding along the cold cement floor. Soon, she reached the closet filled with goodies. Shuffling through the various items, she found a wine bottle at the very back of the pile.

She picked it up, popped open the cork, put it to her mouth then-

"Drop it."

Sighing, Korra laid back down.

**Hi! I thought I could update really soon, but unfortunately things came up and I couldn't.**

**There will be more Mako in the next chapter and Asami in the next chapter.**

**Have a nice day! Thank you for reading!**


End file.
